The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-07-07
DOWN ON The NEGRO.
Why the ReputH lean Party II Unsnhnous
in Denouucin>y the Colored Race.

Il -
in Denouucin>y the Colored Race.
In a recent speech on woman's
suffrage Senator ingalls,, of Kansas,
said: II have no he'itancy in saying
that granting the right of suffrage to
the colored people has proven an alb
solute and unqualified failure" SEN
ator Ingalls, is Republican. and one
of the acknowledged leaders of his
party. 1t would be fair to presume
that he speaks for a large portion OF
his party on the question of Negro
suffrage. But we are not left to infer
ence or conjecture on this point. From
other Republican leaders and from
various Republican newspapers have
come expressions similar to those of
Senator Ingalls, in his recent speech.
1t is common thing to hear Re
publicans in Congress declare that the
negro is failure as a voter and is
unfit to exercise the privilege of the
ballot.
What is the logical result of such
reasoning? If Senator ingalls, and his
brother Republicans believe that the
negro is unfit to vote, they are driven
to one of two courses. They must
either perpetuate what they denounce
as an absolute and unqualified failure,
or they must disfranchise the negro.
The colored voter will thus see that, in
any event, he has little to expect from
the Republican party. If he is to vote
at all, it is over their protest. 1t is
easy to understand the position of Sem
ator Ingalls, and the other Republican
leaders on the question of negro suf-
frage.
When the negro became a voter the
representation of the South and its
relative influence in Congress were
greatly increased. The Republicans
supposed that they could always con-
troll the negro vote, by arraying it in
opposition to the bulk of the white vote
of the South. This miserable policy
has failed. The white man and the
black man in the South are naturally
friendly. They understand each other
and trust each other. 1t is true that a
few years after the war the mass of
negro voters blindly followed the lead
of the carpet-baggers, who found
it easy to deceive this simple
hearted race. But gradually the
eyes of the negro were opened.
He saw that he was mere tool
in the hands of designing men who
used him for their own advancement.
He was robbed of his hard-earned saw
ings by his new friends. They fat
tened on public and private plumber
while the negro did the work and the
voting by which they prospered. The
result was inevitable. The negro
found that after all his truest and most
reliable friends were the white men
with whom he had been reared. They
were readiest to come to his help when
he got into trouble. They did not lie
to him, and they never stole his money.
These facts have been impressing the
negroes of the South more and more
fOrcibly during the past ten years. The
election of President Cleveland, and
his wise and kind policy toward the
negro, have done much to remove
whatever of political prejudice might
have remained in his mind.
Now that he can not longer be count
ed as political slave of the Republic
an party. but is becoming an indie
pendent. intelligent voter, the Repub-
lican leaders declare that he is utterly
unworthy of the ballot. If these men
should attempt to carry their views on
negro suffrage to their logical result.
the Democratic party will stand by the
negro and see that every right he has
under the constitution and the laws of
his country shall be preserved.-Atlan-
la Constitution.